Work With Us

PUFFIN is a university scale pulsed-power facility, which provides hands-on training for the next generation of experts in high-energy-density science. We work with intense currents, high voltages, strong magnetic fields, high-powered lasers, and custom-built optical setups to create and measure exotic states of matter which do not occur naturally on Earth.

Undergraduate students

We are currently not taking undergraduate researchers during the PUFFIN group’s move to Cornell.

Graduate students

Note that Prof. Jack Hare is joining the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cornell in January 2025, so will not be taking students at MIT in the next application cycle, or indeed any after that. The FAQ below has been partially updated to reflect this.

Graduate application FAQ:

• Are you taking students this year? In general I take students every year. Due to how funding cycles work, I am never completely certain how many students I can fund, so I am always looking for good applicants.
• Which department should I apply to? I will be on the ECE faculty at Cornell, and I expect to have an appointment in the Applied Physics department as well. Therefore, you can apply to either department.
• How long does a PhD in your group take? I think five years is a reasonable time, and I will work with you to make that happen. My philosophy is that a PhD is just one stage in your career, and it doesn’t need to be too long. However, if you want to stay longer, that may be possible.
• What projects do you have available? Due to funding cycles, it’s never certain what projects will be funded. Broadly, our group studies fundamental processes in magnetized, pulsed-power-driven plasmas. This includes magnetic reconnection, magnetized turbulence, jets, shocks, and rotating plasmas, to name just a few. Our funding normally comes from agencies that are happy for us to carry out results-led research, rather than a specific, pre-defined project. So if you have an idea, we can certainly give it a go!
• What do you look for in a candidate? I look for candidates with excellent hands-on experimental skills, demonstrated in lab classes or research projects. This experience does not necessarily have to be plasma physics related, as long as you were involved in some way in the design, operation, data collection, and data analysis. I am especially interested in candidates who can demonstrate patience and perseverance, which are important qualities in experimental physics.
• How is your group structured, and what is the group dynamic like? Our group is very young, and so is our group culture. We meet weekly to share our research progress and I also meet with students one-on-one, or in small groups, for more detailed updates. We often go for lunch or dinner together and go for social events like bowling or mini-golf. My vision for the lab culture is one where each student is responsible for their own project, and takes the lead on those experiments. The other students will assist the lead student - if they are less experienced, they will learn from the more experienced students. When the lead student has finished their experiment, they will switch to analyzing their data, preparing for the next set of experiments, and, importantly, helping the other students with their work. Therefore students will work collaboratively, know what everyone else is doing, and learn a range of diagnostic and experimental techniques.
• What should I put in my application? Letters of recommendation are important. Get them from people who can attest to your scientific skills, especially if you have done an extended research project. Your statement of purpose is also important - rather than recapitulate your CV, use it to discuss why you want to do a PhD, what your career goals are, and what sort of physics interests you. It is a good idea to mention several different potential supervisors so that there is a greater chance that one of them will push for you to get an offer.
• Should I email you to ask questions or arrange a Zoom meeting in advance of my application? Students are often advised to contact potential advisors in advance. Given the number of students who contact me, I don’t have time to meet with them all, so in the interests of fairness I will decline all such requests. I am happy to answer questions via email. I often take students who haven’t contacted me before applying, and I do not consider prior contact when reviewing applications, not least because I have a terrible memory.

Post-doctoral researchers

Currently we have no vacancies for post-doctoral researchers. However, if you are considering applying for an external fellowship and would like to work on PUFFIN, please get in contact so that we can discuss this further.

Please contact Prof. Hare via email (jdhare@mit.edu) you have any questions about research opportunities.